Renewables

3rd December 2018

Letter, Claire Mack, Chief executive, Scottish Renewables: CHANGING the way in which we generate, transmit and use energy is imperative in order to deliver the clean energy system we need to tackle climate change. The average UK fossil fuel power station is more than 30 years old and we must replace these ageing plants with clean, cheap and secure generation if Scotland and the UK are to meet existing carbon targets. Renewable energy ticks all those boxes – and it’s popular, with the latest UK Government poll showing more than 82 per cent of the UK public back the use of renewable energy to provide our electricity, fuel and heat. Renewables now provide almost 70 per cent of Scotland’s electricity supply and National Grid, which is responsible for the security of our energy system, is already planning for more green power generation, saying it is confident “we will have the intelligence available in the system to ensure power is consumed when it’s there and not when it’s not there”. Investing in renewable generation means stabilising energy costs, banking on technology which is becoming cheaper every day, creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions. Failing to do so will expose energy consumers to volatile fossil fuel prices and poorer air quality, as well as the global threat of climate change.

Technological change can have mixed social and environmental impacts, some good, some bad, and some uncertain. Over the past few decades, social and political movements have emerged seeking to redirect technological development and steer it toward more environmentally and socially beneficial paths, challenging the technological status quo. In the energy field, some progress has been made in that regard, with renewables now winning battles. But there are many other fields where progress has been more uncertain. One of them concerns the development of new production technologies based on automatic systems and cybernetic controls- automation. A newly published Spokesman book ‘Delinquent Genius’ by Mike Cooley argues that we can in fact, and indeed must, make sure the new technology is human centred. We can’t stop it, but we can direct it so that automation enhances skills rather than replaces them- creating meaningful and creative work. The artisan culture beloved of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement in the UK only involved a small minority. Cooley seems to be arguing that human centred technology can expand that, so that all can participate.

Clients have included Greenpeace, Nuclear Free Local Authorities, WWF Scotland and the UK Government’s Committee on Radioactive Waste Management.

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